Rachel Antalek

Rachel Antalek has extensive experience in the food and beverage industry. Rachel currently holds the position of Chief Global Food Innovation Officer at Pizza Hut. Prior to that, they worked as the Chief Innovation Strategist at Antalek | Strategic Innovation Partners, where they collaborated with executive teams in the restaurant, retail, and CPG sectors to drive innovation and growth. Rachel also has a background with Starbucks, where they served as the Vice President of Concept Innovation and Director of Concept Innovation, among other roles. Their accomplishments at Starbucks include creating retail theater to enhance customer experience and revenue, developing the Starbucks Evenings concept, and leading the revival of the espresso and brewed coffee businesses. Before joining Starbucks, Rachel worked at Darden as the Director of Beverage for Red Lobster and as a Brand Manager for Olive Garden. Rachel began their career as a Field Marketing Manager for CC's Coffeehouse at Community Coffee.

Rachel Antalek has a Bachelor of Arts degree in International Relations, History, and German from Tufts University. Rachel also holds a Master of Business Administration degree in Marketing from Tulane University - A.B. Freeman School of Business. In addition, they completed a Junior Year Abroad program at the University of Tübingen, focusing on German history and International Relations. Rachel Antalek has additional certifications as a Certified Sommelier from The Court of Master Sommeliers and as a Certified Specialist of Wine from the Society of Wine Educators.